This invention relates to the preparation of large mailings and the like. More particularly it relates to systems and apparatus for the preparation of documents and the assembly of multiple mailpieces including such documents.
The term xe2x80x9cmailpiecesxe2x80x9d as used herein means items intended to be delivered by a postal service or private courier service. Typically preparation of mailpieces includes, but is not limited to, printing or otherwise providing documents including variable information pertaining to addressees of the mailpieces and the assembly of such documents with other elements of the mailpiece. The term xe2x80x9cassemblyxe2x80x9d as used herein means the execution of actions to incorporate the documents into mailpieces. Typically, such actions can include: accumulating documents with other materials such as preprinted inserts, folding and inserting the resulting accumulations into envelopes, printing addresses and other information on the outside of the envelopes, and franking the mailpiece with an appropriate postage amount.
Inserter systems for the assembly of mailpieces are well known. A typical inserter system is shown in FIG. 1. Inserter system 10 includes burster/feeder 12 which inputs preprinted documents in fanfold form, separates the documents and removes and discards sprocket feed strips FS from the edges of the document. Each group of documents for a particular mailpiece includes at least control document CD. On control documents CD strips FS are marked with code BC which is read by scanner 14 before strips FS are removed. In simpler systems code BC can be a xe2x80x9cdash codexe2x80x9d of the type known for use in directly controlling inserter systems. In newer, more complex systems code BC can be a conventional bar code which serves as a pointer to a mailpiece record which record contains information for controlling the inserter; as will be more fully described below. In other known inserter systems, the documents can be in cut sheet form and a cut sheet feeder can be used in place of burster/feeder 12.
Control document CD, and any additional associated pages are fed from burster feeder 12 to accumulator 16 where documents for each mailpiece are formed into separate accumulations A and folded.
Accumulation A is then fed to insert stations 20A and 20B where preprinted inserts I are added to form accumulations A1 and A2. Those skilled in the art will of course recognize that the number of such insert stations used will vary from application to application.
Accumulation A2 is then fed to insert station 22 where it is inserted into an envelope and sealed to form mailpiece MP.
Mailpiece MP is then fed to address printer 24 which prints address AD on the outside of the envelope. Depending on the size of the print field of printer 24, printer 24 also can be used to print other information such as a variable return address (or other text message) RA, logo L, and postal barcode PBC on the envelope. (Those skilled in the art will recognize that dash codes as described above typically cannot include sufficient information to define even address AD so that systems incorporating dash codes typically use window envelopes to provide addressing information.)
System 10 also includes out stacker 30 for diverting mailpieces when an error is detected.
As noted above, inserter systems wherein said code BC is a barcode which is used as a pointer to a mailpiece record (i.e. an electronic record associated with a mailpiece to be assembled) are known. By incorporating data for controlling assembly of mailpieces in mailpiece records an essentially unlimited amount of data can be associated with each mailpiece. Thus addresses, return addresses, logos, and postal bar codes can all be readily specified in addition to specification of the number of inserts to be added at each insert feeder, postage amounts, etc. Systems incorporating such mailpiece records are described in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,505; to: Axelrod et al.; for: Mail Preparation System; issued Jan. 24, 1989, which is hereby incorporated by reference. Embodiments of the system of U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,505 are marketed by the assignee of the present application under the name xe2x80x9cDirect Connectionxe2x80x9d, described in The Direct Connection, version 1.30.
While systems such as those described above have proven highly successful certain disadvantages remain. In particular, in mailings where valuable or sensitive items such as credit cards are to be mailed it is important to assure that the item is correctly included and that the corresponding mailpiece is correctly addressed. To increase this level of assurance, credit cards or similar critical items can be affixed to the corresponding control document so that the card will always be accumulated into the correct mailpiece. However in prior file based systems, such as that described above, the control document is the first document to be accumulated and passes through each station of the system; thus increasing the chances that the card or critical item will be damaged or lost in case of a jam or other malfunction.
Thus it is an object of the subject invention to provide a system, apparatus and method for the preparation and assembly of mailpieces where control documents (hereinafter sometimes control inserts) are less likely to be lost or damaged.
The above object is achieved and the disadvantages of the prior art are overcome in accordance with the subject invention by means of a system, apparatus and method for preparing mailpieces and the like. The system includes a data processing system programmed to generate a mailing job including a plurality of mailpieces, by outputting a mailing control file, the mailing control file including a plurality of mailpiece records, each of the records defining preparation of a corresponding mailpiece and producing at least an initial control insert, the control insert including data identifying the mailing control file; storing means for storing mailing control files, the mailing control files including a plurality of mailpiece records, each of the records defining preparation of a corresponding mailpiece; and apparatus for assembling the mailpieces.
The apparatus includes a mechanism for assembling the mailpieces, the assembling mechanism including a plurality of stations for accumulating documents or inserts into the mailpieces as accumulations of the documents or inserts move through the stations; a scanner, the scanner reading data from control inserts, the control inserts being included in the accumulated documents or inserts, the control inserts being accumulated into the mailpieces by a downstream one of the stations; and a controller. The controller is responsive to an element of the data read from an initial control insert to: access storing means for storing mailing control files, the mailing control files including a plurality of mailpiece records, each of the records defining preparation of a corresponding mailpiece, to open a mailing control file identified by the element; initialize the apparatus by forming accumulations in accordance with corresponding records in the opened file at each of the stations upstream of the downstream station; and thereafter sequentially process records in the opened file and controlling the apparatus to form a corresponding sequence of mailpieces.
The apparatus is controlled in accordance with the subject invention by carrying out the steps of: storing a mailing control file, the mailing control file including a plurality of mailpiece records, each of the records defining preparation of a corresponding mailpiece; reading data identifying the mailing control file from the initial control insert; and responding to the data read from the initial control insert to: open the mailing control file identified by the data; initialize the apparatus by forming accumulations in accordance with corresponding records in the opened file at each of the stations upstream of the downstream station; and thereafter sequentially process records in the opened file and control the apparatus to form a corresponding sequence of mailpieces.
In accordance with one aspect of the subject invention at least one of the mailpieces includes a control insert and item which is valuable or sensitive is affixed to the included control insert.
In accordance with another aspect of the subject invention the item is a credit card.
In accordance with another aspect of the subject invention the data is read from the initial control insert as the initial control insert is fed into an initial accumulation, which can be a dummy accumulation.
In accordance with still another aspect of the subject invention at least a plurality of the mailpieces include a control insert, the included control inserts including data identifying a corresponding record in the mailing control file, the included data being read to verify that the corresponding records have been used to control assembly of the plurality of the mailpieces.